Portrait: Cry to Me
by seoul.knight
Summary: Azula and Ty Lee will stop at nothing to get the life that they want. Until they get what they actually deserve. Tyzula. Modern AU. Rated M to be safe.
1. The Chance Encounter

**Hi guys & gals.**

 **Before you read this, fic, I'd like to thank you.**

 **I'm new in this scene so pls bear with me.**

 **FYI:**

 **The characters in this story does not belong to me.**

 **It is a modern AU fic and may or may not be canon.**

 **Do leave a review once you're done.**

 **Happy reading!**

* * *

 **ONE- The Chance Encounter**

 **Ty Lee isn't sure how her life had managed to turned itself into the disaster it had become in just one day. her cellphone was ringing again for the umpteenth time and she has received hundreds of messages asking for her to give a response just so they would know she was still alive. Childish or not, she had refused to give any of them that much satisfaction.**

 **With her millionth sigh of the day, she lifted up her phone from off the table carefully, only with her forefinger and thumb as if it was a disgusting thing to touch. Her face twisted in a grimace at the caller appearing on her screen. Almost as a reflex, she threw her phone over to the opposite couch. these people can't seem to understand that she clearly just wants to be left alone.**

 **Swirling the wine in her glass mindlessly, she looked at her dazzling wristwatch, a birthday gift from her father a year ago when everything was just about to head for the stars for Ty Lee. It's 2am and she is sitting in one of the VIP rooms of Club Altitude by her lonesome and that is certainly some kind of record achievement for someone who is always surrounded by people- friends or strangers. Ty Lee just loves people.**

 **Her family had finally accepted her back when they found out she was dating one of the few whom they had thought was eligible (rich & therefore influential enough) for her. He was the heir of Hakoda, the man who controls more than half of the world's potable water supply with his patented desalination technology. His son, Sokka was quite intelligent, witty and good looking. To any other women, he has it all. And when Ty Lee had agreed to marry him, she had thought that was true too – she thinks. Although now, Ty Lee feels like she has to rethink her life over again (nothing new there). **

**When she was disowned by her parents some 5 years back, she had followed her whim of becoming an actress, disavowing the family business and thereby tarnishing the family name to pursue a childish dream of following a profession so shallow and short-lived (according to her parents). The world proved to be too harsh for her and she was brought down to her knees having been left penniless and achieving nothing to her name that she decided to abandon her pursuit and return to her family.**

 **Of course Ty Lee believes her family must have pulled all the strings that they can to make things extra difficult for her when she left her family home. She had vowed to make a name for herself and put all those who had ever slighted or doubted her abilities to shame. For 4 years she had struggled and scrimped, doing everything she can to pursue the art and career she loved. however, having no support added with her father's negative pressures on everyone she's worked with, Ty Lee only found herself in an absolutely heartbreaking and pathetic situation. and yet to those who knew her, it didn't seem a surprise at all; they never really thought highly of her. Ty Lee was never a very bright student. She was childish and carefree although she did excelled in gymnastics, ballet and was very active with the theater department in school. Ty Lee is just glad most of them still can't tell her sisters and her apart so even if they want to throw insults at her, they couldn't as they weren't too sure who to aim it at.**

 **A year after her return to her family's good graces, here she is again finding herself in a similar situation, about to abandon her them. Again.**

" **I wish you would stop being so flaky and grow up, Ty Lee!" She knows exactly what her mother would be saying to her if she had answered her phone. "You don't even have to love him now. You will learn to when you realize he can give you everything this world can offer,"**

 **Enticing. Very enticing. Ty Lee just loves owning a lot of precious things and her mother knows it. But there is a lot more to Ty Lee than just that.**

 **She feels the twisting in her stomach.** ** _Ughh … why am I doing this again?_**

 **Of course, the reason she was breaking up with her fiance was because he had been cheating on her with one of her closest friends who happen to be his ex-girlfriend. It's not like Ty Lee really cares about the cheating- she could have stopped it if she had wanted to but Ty Lee didn't really care. All he was, was her ticket to get back into her family's good books (bank account). That's just how her family has maintained itself as one of the top 5 ruling families of the Fire Nation, through its network of very important friends and families.**

 **Her impending marriage to Sokka would help her father extend his influence further; beyond the Fire Nation waters and into the Southern Nations and thereby gaining much respect and favour by Ozai, the Chairman of Sozin-Roku Holdings and the most powerful man in the Fire Nation. All her other sisters have been made into instruments of investments according to her father's wishes and to think Ty Lee was just about to allow herself to be a part of that too fills her with quite a rage she has never felt before.**

 **She just can't do it. No- She won't do it!**

 **:::**

 **Summer came earlier this year and the heat is unbearably sweet, at least to the two inhabitants of the room. Gold, glazed eyes locked on the contours of her companion whose movements does more to accentuate her tantalizing curves.**

 **Her companion tonight is an exquisite creature. A smooth talker, extremely pleasing to the eyes (even with her clothes on) and she is an almost perfect partner to parade around at her family's numerous society parties. Almost.**

 **Everyone knows Azula is never seen with the same partner after attending 3 consecutive parties with them. And Azula personally makes sure she keeps that reputation intact. Even with this knowledge she was never want of a partner. Every other person just wants to keep trying to be the one who could tame this wild animal and bring her to the "righteous" path. And this gorgeous beauty before her is just the same like all the others and she is seriously running out of time.**

 **For now, Azula decides to simply enjoy her company. She really is not too bad a lover and an even better dancer. Still, she lacks something.**

 ** _Everyone lacks something except for me of course._**

 **She smirks at her own thoughts before sticking her tongue out to tease a rose-colored nipple. The girlish gasp that came from her companion excites her more than she cares to admit as she rubs her finger against clit. She could feel a warmth surging through her body as her free hand moves to caress smooth bare skin, pressing her companion closer to her body.**

 **Their lips crash and their teeth clash and within this room, not one person cares how uncomfortable it feels until the foreign sound of glass breaking on the floor rudely interrupted their passionate activities.**

" **I- I'm terribly sorry. I must have entered the wrong room,' a flustered but very cute looking intruder stood by the door, her eyes everywhere except at the two persons staring at her while in their very provocative positions. 'You see the hallways are really dark and I was just returning to my own room after having my drink refilled at the bar only to realize I didn't exactly have to go all the way down there for a refill and-"**

" **Is that you Ty Lee?"**

 **A very familiar voice belonging to a very terrifying person whom Ty Lee can recognize anywhere. It was futile now to try to step out of that room unrecognized, Ty Lee realized. She let out a heavy breath she didn't know she was holding and slowly turned her head in the direction of the voice of dread.**

" **Azula, what a pleasant surprise to see you here," Ty Lee said and she was surprised that her voice hadn't cracked under pressure. She was finally looking at Azula and she has to admit, the girl is just hot. They haven't seen each other since high school and if anything, she's even more dazzling now than ever. Running into Azula would usually result in all kinds of embarrassing situations for Ty Lee. For some reason, the little wires in her brain would choose at that moment to go on overdrive and then shut down entirely.**

" **Yes, I know. You look a total mess. Have you really let yourself go like they said you have?" Azula asked, her lips in her signature smirk that Ty Lee wants to carve it out with the broken glass pieces by her feet and keep it in her purse.**

" **Rumors are never kind to people like us, you know that,' Ty Lee replied as smoothly as she can although she could feel her voice almost cracking.**

" **They are usually true and that's why we have our PR's paid handsomely well to handle them for us." Azula replied casually. Genuinely casually. It's ironic to Ty Lee how comfortable Azula is with a naked girl in her lap while Ty Lee feels like she would even pretend to be a chair if she could escape this situation.**

 **Ty Lee and Azula had had a long history of hating each other's guts since they were kids. They had gone to Sozin's Institute of Learning when they were younger; a private school that gives any of its graduates direct admission to any of the Ivy League colleges they prefer. Unsurprisingly, people would kill to get into that school and even more unsurprising is how strictly the admission process is governed. Even if one is a 4 pointer average, a place is not guaranteed. Admission criteria is not simply based on grade scores; family background places a higher importance. Of course Azula and Ty Lee never had to worry about admission to the school. From the day they were born they were already guaranteed a place in Sozin's Institute of Learning. Anyone within that powerful network of family and friends is automatically entitled to a place in SIL.**

 **While in school, Azula is conceited, selfish, extremely narcissistic and needlessly cruel (Nothing has changed much since then). Ty Lee on the other hand is kind, cheerful and carefree (Nothing has changed much since then). At one time, Ty Lee was lauded as the most popular girl in school; everyone wants her to appear in their plays, the school radio shows, have her commentary on the school magazine columns and there is no party that she was not invited to.**

 **In SIL, that should never happen.**

 **The heir of the school's founder should never be any less and crossing her is not a path anyone wants to take. 2 months later, Ty Lee found herself ostracized and kept to the sidelines after rumors of her sleeping with her teachers in exchange for good grades surfaced. Of course the boys were not too affected by this, they were more receptive in fact. If it was even possible, Ty Lee was even more popular with the boys after news of that got out. Ty Lee of course was happy with the attention she received as a side effect of the rumors. The girls hated her but Ty Lee supposes it is all for the best. (She never openly agreed to or denied the rumors.)**

" **Were you really caught having sex in the back of the Chanel store with the sales assistant?" Ty Lee asked, a genuine curious expression on her noticeably flushed face. The perpetual smirk on Azula's lips had disappeared, replaced with a raised eyebrow that was slightly twitching which tells Ty Lee that she had struck a nerve.**

 **Azula had not expected Ty Lee to be aware of her little indiscretion. Azula was having a very bad week and she was not thinking straight when she decided to succumb to her needs and have her way with that girl who wasn't even that good looking in the first place; she just happened to be there. Her PR manager had assured her that it will never come out in the news in spite of a witness having actually captured photos of her and the sales assistant in flagrante delicto. Now what's left of that piece of exciting "almost scandal", is merely talk without a base.**

 **The world is just funny that way- everyone is well aware of her reputation for changing partners like she changes her clothes and yet one scandal with a sales assistant could almost ruin her family's business and political reputation. But now the important thing is no one would even know the truth of the matter, especially not her father.**

 **How this ignoramus person whom has never been able to get her life together could have caught wind of this news however, simply baffles Azula.**

" **Are you really still** ** _that_** **interested in me Ty Lee?' Azula responded after quickly regaining her composure. "My, my, you had never really gotten over that high school crush of yours that you had on me, did you? I am genuinely flattered."**

 **Stiletto in the face.**

 **If only Ty Lee's thoughts came true simply when she thinks them up, that is exactly what Azula's face will become. How dare she bring up an issue from their days in school that Ty Lee thinks she had almost succeeded to erase until she finds Azula with a naked girl and a part of her wishes she was in her place instead.**

" **You wish, Azula,' Ty Lee says, pointedly rolling her eyes at Azula's suggestion and she prays silently that her act of nonchalance would be convincing enough. In her mind, Ty Lee is trying to justify her thoughts, repeating over and over again: I'm just feeling vulnerable tonight.**

" **If you will excuse me, I have better things to do then discuss your never ending self-obsession with** ** _you_** **. Good night Azula and I hope we never have another opportunity of seeing each other again. Even by chance."**


	2. A Living Nightmare

**TWO – A Living Nightmare**

 **Headache.**

 **Sunlight.**

 **Splitting headache.**

 **Ty Lee could not remember the last time she woke up hating the sun. Must be never; it's an unfamiliar feeling that has settled in her and she's pretty sure it has nothing to do with the sun. But then again, she thinks she's lying to herself. Yesterday like today is not bound to turn out well. However, things can always still take a positive turn.**

 **Sokka could tell her, "I'm sorry Ty Lee but I love Suki and I want to be with her."**

 **Her parents could realize Sokka is a son of a bitch for cheating on her and from then on never force any of their selected suitors on her and finally let her live a life of her own.**

 **She would tell them, "I only ever want to marry the art of acting till the day that I die." And they would accept it with tears of joy and group hugs and everyone can live happily ever after.**

 ** _Last night should have lasted forever._**

 **Ty Lee should have stayed out. She should never have returned to her apartment where everyone can find her.**

 **Stupid alcohol. It must have given her a false sense of courage to face up to her problems.**

 ** _Stupid, stupid Grey Goose._** **She pulls the covers over her head as if it would help get rid of the pounding in her head.**

" **Get up you disgusting pig! Are you planning to sleep the entire day away?"**

 **Ty Lee's eyes bulged as she kicked the covers away, suddenly on high alert. She sat up in bed, arms flailing, fingers trying to push her bangs away from her eyes although now she is finding it hard to keep them open.**

 **SUN Vs Hangover + Heavy Eyelids.**

 **SUN wins.**

 **Besides the horrific presence of sunlight, someone else was in her room! And that voice-** ** _that_** **voice!**

" **Are you awake now?! Had a good rest, Ty Lee?!" Now, she is just doing it on purpose knowing full well loud noises and bright lights do not go well with hangovers. Ty Lee squints her eyes in the general direction of where that** ** _sexy_** **noise is coming from and sees a figure sitting in an armchair across from her.**

 **It's her.**

 **Ty Lee does not want to do this now. If her day is going to start this way, her hopes For the coming of better days is horribly bleak.**

 **RIP Optimism.**

" **What are you doing in my room?" Ty Lee started, her voice raspy and a lot softer than she had wanted it to be.**

" **Your room?' Livid is one word that could describe what Azula was feeling right now but she sure could get more creative if she wants to. She had only narrowly escaped trouble with her father and now a chance meeting with this insufferable airhead has suddenly blown up her problem to becoming headline news. 'If you're still blatantly unaware and obscured by your stupidity, this is** ** _my_** **room and you are sleeping in** ** _my_** ** _bed_** **," Azula's tone was gentle laying emphasis on particular words that convey her deathly mood.**

 **Ty Lee hates that look Azula has in her eyes right now. If she could see through her thoughts, she would see that Azula is imagining her fingers wrapped around her delicate little neck. Ty Lee remembers seeing that look back in school when a boy called Jae had unknowingly pushed Azula aside so that he could run to Ty Lee's locker to join in the queue of boys waiting to ask Ty Lee to attend the Spring Dance with them. Things turned out pretty well for Jae (not). He became Azula's date and right now, Ty Lee thinks the look she herself is sporting is similar to Jae's when she "asked" him to go to the dance with her.**

" **What... why am I here?" Ty Lee's voice still comes out in rasps and squeaks and she is getting annoyed by her lack of control over her own voice. Looking around, she now realizes how foreign this room is; a direct opposite of how her room is decorated. While her room has a cozier ambience and is more personalized, this room while not lacking in style and space utility, feels more like a showroom.**

" **You don't remember?' Azula enquires menacingly lifting a perfectly sculpted eyebrow as she leans forward, resting her hands on the arms of her throne. when she gets no response, Azula stands up almost knocking the chair over and walks closer to Ty Lee with a rolled up magazine in her hand. She throws it into Ty Lee's lap making her flinch. Being hit by Azula is a very high possibility right now judging from the amount of heat that Ty Lee can feel emanating from her. Sometimes Azula reminded Ty Lee of a fire-breathing dragon when she is angry. She remembers having nightmares about dragons burning off her eyebrows when she was younger. It was terrifying.**

" **You don't remember whoring yourself at me after getting yourself drunk?" The gleam in Azula's eyes makes Ty Lee thinks she is partly enjoying this. However, her expression comes and goes and Ty Lee is just confused at whether she is angry with her or flirting with her. Or maybe, Ty Lee is simply still hungover.**

 **The magazine unrolls itself in her lap and if her eyes had brains of their own, they would pop out of her sockets, run into the toilet and flush themselves. She is on the cover of a magazine.**

 **One: She finally makes it on a magazine cover.**

 **Two: She thinks the lighting makes her look young.**

 **Three: She sees her underwear around her ankles.**

 **Four: She is straddling Azula whose face was turned away from the camera.**

 **Five: There is a smaller picture at the bottom of the page showing the exact moment when she had maced Azula.**

" **There, do you remember now? Remember throwing yourself at me on the dancefloor, forcing yourself on me though I had repeatedly pushed you away and after all that you – YOU- had the audacity to** ** _MACE_** **me?!"**

 **Ty Lee is finally sure that Azula is very, very mad at her. No flirting here.**

" **I don't own a mace. I never needed one." Ty Lee chooses to answer with that as if it would exempt her from being the culprit. At least she had found her voice.**

 **Ty Lee winces.**

 **She was sure Azula had stabbed her.**

 **Nope. Just her own fingernails digging into her own skin.**

 **Phew.**

 **:::**

 **Musky and musty; that's how The Cheon Guk- the office building of the reigning world's richest family- smells like. Ty Lee had never seen so much processed wood ever; wooden furniture, wood-paneled walls, parquet floors and almost everything else has wood as its main feature. How many millions of acres of forests must have been sacrificed to create such a place? Ty Lee isn't sure if the world is enough.**

 **She feels her many years of hard work on Go-Green campaigns have all gone to nothing. It's just depressing how no one seems to really care for the fundamental causes of campaigns anymore. Everyone just thinks they have done their part by donating money and yet care little whether their subsequent attitudes and actions truly reflect the spirit of the campaign.**

 **She sighs to herself as she tries to keep up with the Queen of Dragons (She thought up that nickname for Azula on their way over). Ty Lee has to admit that the Queen looks great in her deep red blazer over a black shirt and skinny black slacks. Herself on the other hand looks like she is going to the beach. Azula had begrudgingly allowed her to borrow a flowery shirt dress- which Ty Lee feels is at odds with the rest of Azula's entire wardrobe which had taken her by a huge surprise but she didn't dare to ask questions- as she feels that it would be in bad taste to let Ty Lee wear anything that could remind anyone of last night's misadventure, especially herself.**

 **This morning was certainly a rush hour Ty Lee never had experienced before. First she woke up to an unpleasant reminder of last night. Second, she was reminded of last night by the Queen of Dragons herself who was breathing smoke throughout her entire tirade she unleashed upon Ty Lee and third, she has had to get dressed and ready herself so quickly she didn't even have time to take any breakfast.** ** _Some host! Wouldn't even feed a poor girl who is almost dying of hunger._**

 **Azula had refused to look at Ty Lee ever since they had left her apartment for Azula's office and Ty Lee thinks this is the best situation that she has had so far ever since her world started methodically crashing like a domino effect. Azula had said that their PR managers are waiting for them so that they can issue consistent counter press releases to negate the atrocious situation they have put both their families in.**

 **Ty Lee is optimistic of the situation. Two professionals are always better than one.**

 **Azula however, could not get rid of the sinking feeling in her stomach.**

 **Fingers crossed.**

 **They enter the Dragon's Den.**

" **Updates!" Azula demands as soon as she walks through the door, throwing her bag down onto the couch and striding with purpose to her throne by the window overlooking the skyline of the business district of Capitol City. The two PR managers jumped up from their seats as they immediately stood up to attend to their own bosses.**

" **We have bought up all the prints and digital copies of that magazine who was first to leak those photos. You won't have to worry about it being disseminated any further," Smellerbee, Ty Lee's PR Manager began as approached Ty Lee who had immediately enveloped her in an overdramatic bone-crushing hug. Azula rolled her eyes as she looked away in disgust.**

" **We have been talking to all the editors of the other tabloids who had gotten a hold of the pictures but have yet to start printing them, informing them of a temporary court injunction we have obtained ordering those photos to not be released any further to any other media agencies, media sites or by any other means identified as having a mass of audience, public or private." Azula's PR manager, Jun, replies with cutting precision knowing how much Azula hate beating about the bush. She has been working with this family for 10 years and although she hates their guts, Jun loves how generous they are.**

" **Temporary? Why only temporary? Make it permanent!" Azula demands, glaring daggers down at Jun as though she was the cause of all this trouble instead of her being the one who is saving their asses. The glare, the famous Azulon, Ozai & Azula glare, like all other times always sends shivers down her spine but she gets used to the sensation. **

" **I need your permission and agreement to sue the tabloids for having used personal photos not meant for dissemination in any way, before we can make it permanent," Jun continues as she hands the papers over to Azula for her perusal and acknowledgment.**

" **Give it to me and make sure to inform our legal department to do a good job with this. Who is the cameraman? Do we know him?" Azula questions as she skims through the papers handed over to her.**

" **He is a new hire, just started last night. Extremely stupid and naïve and just looking for a quick buck. He's one of ours so we can easily handle him you don't have to worry about that." Pointing to dotted lines that require the heiress' signature, Jun looks up at Smellerbee. Ty Lee sees the exchange and knows there's something else.**

" **What?' Ty Lee asks quietly. "What is it? There's something else isn't there?" Ty Lee says, looking back and forth at Jun and Smellerbee. She hates herself right now for eagerly asking to listen to bad news as if she hasn't heard enough but after all Ty Lee thought, how could it possibly get any worse than this? Her fingers tighten around Smellerbee's.**

 **Azula too looked up at hearing the obvious discomfort in Ty Lee's voice.**

" **Your Fathers, are both very concerned about this. . . issue," Smellerbee started, looking to Jun for support and the latter merely nodded grimly.**

 **Both Ty Lee and Azula cursed under their breaths. They had both hoped that news of this would not reach their Fathers' ears but news like this certainly travel faster than lightning. They are both well aware of it from experience but it doesn't stop them from hoping for the ultimate miracle- as naive is it sounds.**

" **Even though we bought the copies of that magazine, we did not exactly manage to buy all of it. About 1000 copies have gone out and we are unable to take those back," Jun said as she waited with bated breath at how Azula was going to react to this news.**

" **I take it that my Father got a copy of this?" Azula asked in an eerily quiet tone.**

 **Jun gave a curt nod. The other two tried to look very small.**

" **Damn it!' Azula hissed, slamming her fists on her table as she stood up forcefully, her chair crashing back into the wall. 'You see the situation you got me into you slut!" Azula's finger was trembling as she pointed an accusatory finger at Ty Lee.**

" **It was your fault too!" Ty Lee lashed back, daring to take a step closer to the Queen of Dragons. She's getting seriously sick of being blamed for every single thing that goes wrong.**

" **My fault? How can any of this be my fault? You're the one who decided to get into a drunken frenzy after you realize you're gonna end up with nothing when your father disowns you for dumping your loser of a fiancé who cheated on you with that whore you call your bestfriend!"**

 **Azula doesn't remember ever losing her temper like this with anyone else other than Ty Lee. She contemplates throwing her out her 89** **th** **floor window and she thinks she might enjoy it. The girl is insufferable!**

" **Don't you dare talk about her like that! Of course I couldn't possibly expect** ** _YOU_** **to understand that can I?** ** _OH_** **the** ** _great_** **Azula who everyone is always so afraid of. For who everyone cowers and obeys and always got to have everything go the way she wants. You care for nothing except for yourself! And you know what, if you still can't see it, at the end of the day at the rate you're going, you're going to end up just like me!" Ty Lee is on a roll- complete with gesticulations and facial expressions- and at the end of her outburst, she wishes she was dead.**

 **The look on Azula's face is-**

 **Crash!**

 **Ty Lee saw that coming and got out of the way right on time, as fast as it was. Azula just threw a snow globe at her!**

 **Oh Ty Lee has been waiting for this showdown! The only thing she can feel right now is her racing heart, her ears burning with heat and- Azula's hair in her fists.**

 **Azula let out a yelp as she too paid the deed forward to Ty Lee eliciting a loud shriek from her. Ty Lee felt Azula's desk under her knees after she had leapt onto it like a cat. She is leaned forward now, trying to grab and lock Azula's free hand against her body as she tried to take as much of Azula's hair in her other fist. It was working if not for the fact that Azula was doing the exact same thing to her and now they are both at the mercy of the other; trapped by a lock of hair in their enemies hands.**

 **Fortunately, they both care too much about their looks to risk a bald spot.**

 **they were both panting, trying to catch their breaths as the adrenaline slows and the pain in their scalps are slowly manifesting although neither one is relenting on the force of their grips. Jun was trying hard to hide her smirk as she watched her boss being manhandled by a sprightly girl in a flowery dress while Smellerbee simply looked on at the exchange with her mouth agape. She was impressed that Ty Lee had the gall to fight against the scariest woman she has ever met in her life, whose bad temperament in real life far supersedes anything she has ever heard by word of mouth. She has never seen Ty Lee with her face contorted like that. Ty Lee has never lost her temper with anyone, at least as far as Smellerbee has ever known, Ty Lee always had a bright and cheerful disposition. Azula brings out the worst in people, she supposes.**

" **Alright! Alright!' Azula spoke first. 'This has gone far enough! We need to discuss this situation calmly and rationally. You let go," Azula said as kindly as she could with a nod although she truth be told, she wants to claw the other girls eyes out.**

" **No!' Ty Lee said defiantly, pouting her lower lip. 'I'm not letting go until you do!"**

 **Azula wants to from punch her in the nose.** ** _Gently, probably. Ughh… the pout of doom!_**

" **Fine! We do it together!' Azula really does not want to prolong this any longer than it already has. 'On the count of 3, we both let go. 123," Azula loosens her grip and was about to let go when she felt Ty Lee's grip still on her hair. She was about to lash out again when Ty Lee finally loosens her grip and quickly got off Azula's desk, rubbing at her victimized scalp.**

" **What was that?" Azula demanded as she too was trying to sooth her scalp with one hand and smoothing her tailored outfit with the other, trying to get rid of imaginary creases.**

" **What was what?" Ty Lee retorted, the annoyance in her tone was clear.**

" **You didn't let go. I counted to 3 and I let go but you didn't! You held on!" If Azula's tone was a little childish, no one in the room dared to point out.**

" **Well you counted too fast! And besides, you always lied so how was I supposed to know you chose this time to speak the truth?" Ty Lee glared at Azula. The other girl wanted to retort, Ty Lee can tell as her lips were twitching but for some unknown reason, she doesn't. Smellerbee finally approached Ty Lee, helping her with her sore scalp as she placed an ice cube wrapped in a handkerchief on the offending area.**

 **Azula didn't like to be helped which suited Jun just fine as she stood by watching and waiting. Azula was scowling, she hated being in a win-win situation like this. She preferred a win situation, in her favor only. Being forced into this is simply unacceptable! The tightening in her chest cannot be good.**

 ** _Control your breathing Azula; Inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth._**

" **You have instructions from my Father?" Azula said, finally addressing Jun as she took her seat, moving it back to her table.**

" **Yes, from both your fathers, actually," Jun started as she slowly approached Azula's desk like an attorney being given permission to approach the Judge's bench. "Apparently they have discussed with each other the situation and they said that you both should be responsible in rectifying the situation."**

 **Ty Lee now takes a seat in front of Azula's desk. "What did they want us to do?"**

" **Your father feels that after calling off your engagement with Sokka, it is extremely important the ties between the 5 families should be seen as strong and unbreakable,' Smellerbee continued where Jun left off as this part concerns Ty Lee more. 'Your antics as reported on the front page of that magazine has your investors thinking that there are fighting within the ranks and certainly does not look good on the prospects of our economy."**

" **The last we heard is that your fiancé -pardon me-** ** _ex_** **-fiancé has decided to go public with his relationship with this person, Suki, from Kyoshi Island, Earth Kingdom. If they pursue this relationship, it would mean an alliance between the Earth Kingdom and the Southern Nation making it paramount that the relationships between the 5 ruling families of the Fire Nation to be more solid than ever. We need to assure the public of that," Jun was building her speech up to something unpleasant, Azula knows that and Jun is aware of it by how quietly her eyes follow her.**

" **Ty Lee,' Smellerbee began seeing that Jun had cleverly took the easier part to explain leaving her with the unpleasant part to finish. 'Your father, and Azula's father both feel that the only way to alleviate any accusations of fragility within the families, is for you and Azula to . . . For you and Azula to . . ."**

 **She couldn't say it. It's too cruel, especially to someone like Ty Lee. She does not deserve this.**

" **For you both to start dating."**

 **Jun said it.**

 **Gasps.**


	3. The Past & The Present

**Helloo dear Readers,**

Thank you all for courageously giving this a chance.

Thank you also to the 3 reviewers! Appreciate the extra effort you took to click on that review button and leave a few words. Love ya guys!

This chapter is a little longer with lots of flashbacks. I can only hope it is seamless and pleasing to read.

Enjoy!

* * *

 **THREE- The Past & The Present**

"I cannot believe this is happening to me,' Ty Lee was pacing back and forth.

Smellerbee had arranged for her to be sent home and the realization had just started to sink in for Ty Lee on what is now expected of her. Smellerbee thought Ty Lee had looked unwell when she was told she had to start dating Azula- her face had turned paper white almost too quickly for it to be healthy.

 _I don't have to go through with this though. I don't!_

 _I'm prepared to lose everything I have but- I don't have anything!_

 _I have nothing to lose!_

The rug under her feet are starting to get worn out. She is walking on her hands now and she feels the bile rising in her throat again. Rushing to her bathroom, she let herself empty her stomach contents, which really weren't that much since she had not had anything to eat since last night's dinner and she has already thrown up 2 times before.

Splashing her face with water, she hears her bell ring. Ty Lee feels torn between being alone and having company. She is in a place halfway between the two and neither one looks better than the other right now. She decides on the latter, and goes to answer her door.

Suki.

Her _bestfriend_ , Suki.

Her ex-fiance's current girlfriend, her _bestfriend_ , Suki.

All Ty Lee could do was stare at her as Suki gave her an awkward smile that seems to say- _please don't hit me._ Ty Lee can hear her heart pounding in her ears and she is suddenly fully aware of her breathing.

"Hi.' Suki began, raising her hand up in a sort of a wave before she lets it hang awkwardly by her side. 'Can I come in?"

Her throat still feels raw and instead of answering, Ty Lee simply moves aside to allow Suki to enter. She tries to clear her throat as quietly as she can while Suki walks ahead of her into her living room. She would totally hate herself if her voice starts cracking up when she finally finds her courage to speak. She wonders if she is the one here needing the courage.

"I…" Suki started but paused and Ty Lee can see the guilt behind her eyes. Ty Lee wishes Suki wouldn't feel that way. They are both in the wrong here- Ty Lee's not too sure anymore.

"I guess, things have not been easy for either of us,' Ty Lee finally manages to squeak her first thought out. She gave the other a small smile hoping it would make things easier and less awkward for the both of them.

 **Flashback : : :**

Ty Lee had met Suki while she was pursuing her career in Republic City where there was a striving theater industry and naturally it had drawn Ty Lee over. Suki was deployed there to keep the peace; there was a new curfew being implemented on the city following the riots between the supporters of the current government and the opposing side.

After the war, the Fire Nation was tasked to assist with the rebuilding of the cities that it had destroyed during the war through reparations and any other means necessary to rebuild the nation back to its former state. Although through the war the Fire Nation had amassed great wealth making it the richest country among all others, it had also managed to lavish too much on military expansion. Thus relying on this remaining wealth alone to rebuild the rest of the world is insufficient.

After numerous negotiations, it was decided that the Fire Nation will put in direct efforts into revitalizing the economies by starting up businesses that would provide ample jobs for the citizens and sharing their technological know-how with the rest of the nations. 10 years later, the people are still divided in this ideology proposed by the Post-War Convention Committee to allow the Fire Nation to maintain its influence, though through different means.

Ty Lee and Suki's unlikely friendship began when a rabbit that had escaped its prison one fateful night, caused a cabbage stall to go up in flames and utter chaos in the usually quiet streets of Republic City.

Ty Lee at that time was working as an assistant to a mean and nasty old street magician who calls himself The Mysterious Muzaka. He holds his shows at the back of his mobile caravan and his avid audiences are little children whose parents cannot afford to bring them to watch the more immaculate performances in the theaters. While his audience adores him, those who work with him despise him due to how cruelly he treats his fellow performers- animal or human. Ty Lee had only started working with him for three nights before she decides that she has had enough. When she had told the Mysterious Muzaka this, he had immediately recited a clause from a non-existent contract that she is not entitled to any pay if she has worked with him for less than a week.

Ty Lee could paralyze him and feed him to his animals but, they wouldn't want him. So, she did the next best thing, she decided to set them all free.

One night when the moon was hiding behind the clouds and the air was frigid and the streets were deserted due to the curfew, Ty Lee had dared to venture out. She was a woman on a mission and quite a noble mission it was after all.

Ears and Eyes on high alert. Light steps. Hand-walk. Slip into shadows.

Ty Lee had been trained in the military and martial arts during the war and thus she had every confidence of a combat warrior. After all, she came from a family of military personnel on her mother's side and of public administrators on her father's side. Through her bloodline, she had inherited both social graces and military fitness. Contrary to what most people believe, she is not stupid, she just refuses to allow herself to be hardened by the cruelty of the world and so chooses to occupy her mind only with good thoughts.

Finally, the offending caravan is in sight.

She sees a light coming from within the caravan. _He must be having his after dinner wine. Perfect._

He keeps his furry little performers in a smaller version of his caravan pulled by chains attached to its front. She moves closer to it and can hear the soft mewling sounds.

 _They're hungry._

Ty Lee fervently wishes he would choke on a chicken bone. He only feeds them once a day and keeps them hungry so they would be motivated during actual performances (he uses food to make them perform according to his wishes). Most of them die from hunger this way.

Well not anymore, not when Ty Lee can help it.

She takes their feedbag and slings it over her left shoulder. Without removing the cloth covering the cage of her furry friends, Ty Lee uses her hair pin and starts working on the padlock- the chains are way too heavy for her to remove quietly. Finally, she manages to have it unlocked.

As quickly as she can, she starts to leave a trail of the feed from the cage leading to a carton box she had brought along with her. Fortunately, there's not too many of them so it's not too difficult. Just as the last little bunny was about to hop into the box that Ty Lee is now carrying in her arms, she hears a loud whistling sound, and another, and another.

Soon lights in the other caravans and even in apartment blocks within hearing distance of the unintended ruckus started to be visible through blinds. There were long shadows moving up the streets and curious eyes peeking through windows.

Busted.

"Hey you! Stop!" A voice rang out in the dark.

Ty Lee had no intention of doing anything like that so she started running in the opposite direction from that voice. There was one thing on her mind that was distracting her, making her falter in her steps -The Last Bunny.

Making a quick decision, Ty Lee runs down an empty street, making a turn into the last alleyway with a dead end. She had planned to make her escape by scaling up the 8 foot wall and making her way up to the rooftops and finding her way home undetected but now, she needs to rescue that Last Bunny! She closes the box and carefully puts it down by the rubbish chute, trying to make it blend in with the rest of the area as much as possible.

"I'll be right back ok," Ty Lee whispers to her vigilante friends. She feels all fired up now and she loves the adrenaline pumping through her veins and Ty Lee thinks this must be the most alive she has ever felt in her entire life. She runs back down to the entrance of the alleyway, leaning against the wall trying to remain as stealthy as she can.

 _A good soldier makes full use of her surroundings for her attack and defense._

A lesson learnt a long time ago reappears in her mind and she smiles smugly to herself for having remembered that.

 _I'm not stupid, I pay attention._

She turns the corner and has the wind knocked out of her.

With a fan.

 _Shit!_

"I am arresting you for violating curfew and conversion of property," The girl in front of her with a very big fan was spitting words Ty Lee only half understands and she is not going to ask for an explanation.

Kicking the fan out of Fan-girl's hand, Ty Lee followed it with a swift back kick as she uses her hands to push herself up. Fan-girl was faster than Ty Lee had anticipated as she ducked her kick and moved to attack Ty Lee from below using a stance that Ty Lee feels is very unfitting for a lady but gives Ty Lee an advantage, seeing that her recovery following that stance is slow. Fan-girl falls to her side when Ty Lee pulls her front leg and her fist collides with her face with a crunch.

Taking advantage of Fan-girl going temporarily out of commission, Ty Lee starts running out the alley. She met with some resistance but they were nothing she can't handle. She knocks down and temporarily disarms at least 8 of them. At last, she sees her final escapee, happily sitting atop of cabbages having his fill. At least he was smart enough to go a distance, away from The Mysterious Muzaka's territory before stopping for a snack.

"Wait right there, Last Bunny!" Ty Lee says as she collides with another patrol guard who seems to have a gun in his hand. She moves to disarm him, chi-blocking the hand holding the gun while stomping on his foot till he howls in pain and shock as he falls to the ground.

Taking the gun with her, she continues on to bunny when Fan-girl reappears, nearly knocking her over as Ty Lee manages to dodge the blow just in time by doing an almost chakrasana pose. Fan-girl moves with wide steps now as she takes punches at Ty Lee with her fan which Ty Lee now notices, has blades at the edges. Ty shuffles her feet back in time with each punch, dodging them.

 _It's like we're dancing._

She takes two backward flips and lands on her feet when she realizes, she has by accident, fired the gun into the cabbage stall! She looks on in horror at what looks like a flare that has been released from the gun, goes through the stall with such a force, the stall crashes into the wall behind it and starts fizzing in red sparks and smoke.

"Bunny!" Ty Lee screams as she runs, pushing down Fan-girl towards Last Bunny. Fortunately, Last Bunny was quite a fighter as he leaps off the stall and starts hopping in the direction where the rest of his family were. 'Good boy Bunny!" Ty Lee says under her breath as she catches up to him, swoops him into her arms and dashes back into the alley where the rest were waiting.

She heaves a sigh of relief as she sees the carton still there. She kneels next to the box and opens the cover. They are all there as she beams at the whole family of them looking back at her and Last Bunny. "There you go Last Bunny,' she says as she lets him into the box which he happily hops into. 'You never have to go hungry again. I promise." Ty Lee says to them.

"So this is why you broke curfew? To save the bunnies?"

Ty Lee immediately returns to fighting stance as she turns to face her opponent whose face is obscured by shadows and Ty Lee can't really tell what her intentions were.

"Relax, please,' Fan-girl says as she hangs her fan on her forefinger through the loop in its handle as a sign of détente. 'You stole those bunnies from that fake magician, Muzaka? He was starving them. I'm glad you did that." Fan-girl says and Ty Lee sees an appreciative smile grace her face when she steps out of the shadows and into the light.

"You're not going to arrest me?" Ty Lee asked, still slightly confused. This person has been trying hard to hurt her with that dangerous fan of hers and now she's just smiling?

"Nope,' Fan-girls says as she stows away her fan into her side belt. 'If anything, I want to thank you for saving them. What's your name?"

"Ty Lee."

"I'm Suki. Nice to meet you, Ty Lee."

The beginning of a friendship is always extremely exciting.

Ever since their meeting at that misadventure, they were inseparable. Ty Lee had finally found a friend in Suki that she has always wanted. Suki was intelligent, athletic, vain at times and genuinely kind. Most people Ty Lee has ever met was only kind to her if they wanted something in return. Suki simply enjoyed Ty Lee's company. And Ty Lee feels exactly the same.

Suki had recommended Ty Lee for an acting job at a theatre in the lower ring of Republic City -whose owner owes her a favor- and Suki would turn up either before the show, during or after. She can never stay throughout as she is on duty but Ty Lee appreciates her presence whenever she can avail herself. Ty Lee would join Suki on her night patrols and they always have a great deal to talk about.

"If you could live to be 1000 years old, what do you think is the one thing that you will always remember in that very long lifespan?" Ty Lee had asked Suki one night during one of their "What-Ifs" conversations as Suki walks Ty Lee home after an evening show. As usual, they had just stopped to buy ice cream from their favorite street vendor, their regular Friday ritual.

"Let's see,' Suki started, tapping her left forefinger against her chin in thought. 'Definitely ice-creams and . . . my first love.' Suki ends with a nod as affirmative action. 'What about you?"

They had just stopped in front of Ty Lee's apartment building and Ty Lee takes her time to finish her ice cream before revealing her answer to the question. She looks intently at Suki as the latter is too preoccupied licking ice cream that has melted and is running down her fingers. Ty Lee wishes she could help her.

"I think I will never forget first dates, ice cream and-" She trails off, taking a step forward so she is standing in front of Suki.

"And what?" Suki asks with her eyebrows raised, finally turning her attention to Ty Lee as the last of the melted ice cream has been licked away.

"You."

They had kissed that night and Ty Lee had thought that she would never brush her teeth ever again. And then Suki's ex came to town and Ty Lee finds that everything is getting less and less. She starts seeing less and less of Suki and they started spending less and less alone time together and Ty Lee is growing less and less patient with a guy called Sokka.

In the beginning Ty Lee did not mind it; Sokka was a funny guy and Ty Lee always had fun when he's around, laughing at his jokes and antics (more than Suki does). Soon, it got to a point where Ty Lee does not even see Suki for weeks. Suki swears that Sokka and her could never get back together again and that they were strictly friends. However, it does little to quell her fears especially when there is no apparent effort that would prove her insecurities wrong.

A few months later Suki disappears without telling Ty Lee. She searches for Suki, asking her other squad mates where she was and one fine day after waiting endlessly, she receives a letter that said Suki had left for Kyoshi Island permanently.

It was at that moment that Ty Lee realizes something inside her had died.

"Ty Lee, I don't know how to tell you this but, I have to," Mr. Boon, the theatre owner said to her one fine evening. 'I have to let you go, Ty Lee. The theatre has recently been bought over and the new owners said they did not like your performance. I'm very sorry but I have to follow my bosses' instructions now."

Ty Lee found out later who the new owners were and it didn't surprise her.

Only now, Ty Lee finds herself all alone.

: : :

"To be honest, I don't really know what to say, Ty Lee,' Suki sighs exasperatedly. 'I don't really know where to start. Everything's just so fucked up!"

"I know,' Ty Lee says in response. There's so many things she wants to say to Suki and yet she finds herself unwilling to. Maybe she's afraid. Maybe she does not want to hurt Suki any more than she already has. Maybe she doesn't want to because thing are too far gone nothing either one of them can say is ever going to change anything.

'If you expect an apology, I don't have one for you. I'm not sorry that I slept with Sokka." There, she said it. Ty Lee has said it. It's out in the open now and she can never take it back.

"I don't expect one from you. I've forgiven Sokka for what he did although . . . it's not exactly his fault either," Suki added that last part like it was an afterthought.

"Then who's fault was it Suki?' Ty Lee's asked, her voice sharp and crisp, almost demanding.

Suki didn't answer. She merely looked away as if looking into Ty Lee's eyes would hurt her even more.

'You just left. You didn't tell me where you were going. You didn't send any news, no phone calls. Nothing. You just disappeared! Do you know how much I worried about you?! I spent so many nights just wondering if you were still alive or dead! Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Ty Lee was on the verge of being hysterical right now and she doesn't even care- not for the anger and frustration that she feels, not the tears running down her cheeks, not even how much she is hurting Suki with her vice-like grip on her hands as she forces her to look her in the eyes. Nothing else matters right now.

"It was a long time ago, Ty Lee." Suki finally said.

"I don't care how long ago it was! I want an explanation, Suki!" Ty Lee demanded as her lips formed a firm straight line. She means business. Ty Lee is not going to let things go unanswered. She needs to move on with her life and she will find closure tonight, even if it kills her.

"I was afraid,' Suki finally lifted her head up to look at Ty Lee. Her eyes were streaming with tears and no matter how angry Ty Lee was with Suki, she found herself loosening her grip on her hands. 'I was afraid of your love, Ty Lee. I see it in your eyes; the way you look at me, the little things you do for me. It was so overpowering I felt like I was going to drown in it,' Suki swallowed a lump she felt in her throat as she wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hands.

'I couldn't keep looking at you knowing you expect something from me. Something that I cannot reciprocate, Ty Lee."

Ty Lee remained silent throughout Suki's confession. She hopes beyond hope that Suki will not say what she thinks Suki is about to say.

"I'm sorry, Ty Lee. I'm sorry that I've led you on."

: : :

"That doesn't sound too bad. I mean, it could be a lot worst."

Azula hates Mai. She thinks for a moment if only she had other friends, she would be happier.

But then again, other people just makes her wish they were dead. Mai seems to be the only one she is willing and able to tolerate, in spite of her apparent indifference towards everything, her lack of physical expression and right now, useful advice.

If there's one thing Azula likes about Mai, is her disdain for people. They are similar in that same dislike.

"She is the most annoying, brainless, moronic creature that has ever walked this earth and I'm- supposed- to- date- her?" Azula throws darts as she utters the last 5 words.

She and Mai are at the lounge area in her house, where she usually entertains small groups of business partners or other important dignitaries. They help themselves to the whiskey at the bar and it is helping Azula relieve her tensioned state- a little bit.

"You did date her back in school," Mai says as a matter of fact with a hand upturned and Azula wants to throw the ashtray -which is too far away for her to reach- at Mai. It would be the second time today she feels like throwing something at someone for saying something stupid.

"I told you never to bring that up ever again. And it wasn't even a date." Azula says, her voice menacingly low as she glares daggers at Mai.

"Come on, it was funny. If anything, date or not, it was an experience," Mai says as she struggles to keep a smile from breaking out on her lips as she recalls that incident a long time ago.

 **Flashback : : :**

"Have you asked her out yet?" Mai asked casually as if she was unaware that the age-old topic of dates was a huge taboo to Azula who has always insisted that unlike any other teenagers, she is hormonal urges-resistant and therefore immune to such needs as physical companionship that would include dates, small talk and hand holding resulting in the absolutely disgusting need of teenagers today for PDAs.

"Stop being so smug, Mai. I'm not going to ask her out,' Azula responds after stopping in her tracks to look Mai straight in the face. She had almost backhanded Mai into the locker next to hers and she feels utterly proud of herself for having exercised such restraint.

'I told you that I have no interest in her whatsoever. I just think she will make a pretty good sidekick," She waves a dismissive hand as they continued walking to their designated classroom.

Having a great-grandfather who started the school has some pretty awesome perks. A few being having their very own designated classroom for all lessons, not having to share the teachers' attention with other kids not belonging to the "Circle" and being free to arrange their own class schedules as they please. Oh, and the rest of the school worships them.

For now, the only few people in the Circle is Azula and Mai and they are extremely comfortable with that arrangement. Once in a while when they decide they needed a "sidekick", they would select from the bountiful of lackeys dying to get into their circle before chucking them aside mercilessly for a serious non-existent crime they have committed against the Circle commandants. Most of the time it is because Azula and Mai just got tired of them.

Despite the cruel way they treat their provisory sidekicks, they are never want of one. Azula supposes the experience is simply worth dying for.

Recently, along came a new addition to the school, an effervescent bubbly character that everyone seems to take an immediate liking to, much to the annoyance and sheer disdain of the Circle (Actually more to Azula's loathing, Mai simply couldn't care less). They gravitate to this girl like kids to an ice cream truck on a hot summers day. It's not like Azula and Mai are striving for likeability, on the contrary. They simply feel uncomfortable when a newcomer comes, shakes up the balance they have set in place and introduce a whole new element in the game called – Chumminess. It is a concept totally alien to Azula and Mai and oh so very typical of the proletariat class (no one in the school actually belongs in this class).

Apparently upon doing a background check on this girl, they found out a few things. Her name was Ty Lee, her father is President Azulon's newly appointed Secretary General of parliament and her maternal grandfather is an Army General who had voluntarily postponed his retirement to serve in the war. She has 6 other older sisters all of whom look exactly like her. She is in her 2nd year of school and so she is their age and, she enjoys acrobatics and gymnastics.

Mai's eyebrows shot up at the suggestion.

"You want to bring her into our Circle?"

"Yes, I think she would be an interesting new addition don't you think?"

"You're not joking,' Mai responds after studying Azula for a while. 'Are you sure it has nothing to do with your attraction to her?"

"Mai, are you bored or something?' Azula asks, tilting her head as if it was a genuine out of curiosity question. 'Do you want a bloody nose to help you get out of this funk you've been in since kindergarten?" Azula's voice was sickeningly sweet and Mai knows that tone all too well. She says nothing as there really is nothing to be said. Azula just answered her question in her own Azula's way of answering questions.

Smirk.

At lunch that day, a whimpering boy came up to Ty Lee at the canteen and handed her an invitation card with impeccable handwriting and there was even perfume on it. Before she could thank him, he had run out of the canteen and suddenly, Ty Lee was surrounded by the lunch crowd, gushing over the card in her hand with oohs and aahs.

"You have it! You have the _Invitation_!"

Ty Lee has never been surrounded with this much excitement over an invitation to wherever it was she was invited to.

"Open it!"

"Yeah go on! Open it!"

Cheers went on for her to open the card she has just received and honestly, Ty Lee is not too sure how she feels about it. Her hands trembled slightly as she carefully unfolds the envelope containing the details of her impending invitation to-

Dear Ty Lee,

You have been cordially invited to join The Circle.

Your inauguration will be via lunch with the Founders of The Circle at 12.30pm this afternoon at the Lounge room.

We take punctuality very seriously.

Awaiting your Arrival,

The CIRCLE.

Kind congratulatory words were heard everywhere around her. People were hugging her, shaking her hands, patting her on her shoulders and they only made her even more confused. This has only been her 3rd day in this school and she has no idea who or what The Circle was but apparently, the rest of the world seems to know. She takes everyone's kind words as a positive reinforcement as she basks in the energy everyone is exuding. Although there were some gloomy faces and rude stares, Ty Lee pays them no mind.

Right now she's just excited to be invited to join The Circle- whoever they are.

And she has 5 minutes to find the Lounge Room.

"You're late."

That voice startled Ty Lee and she had only just stepped into the room. She nervously glances at her wristwatch and swallows an imaginary lump in her throat.

"I- I'm sorry. I had some trouble looking for this room and I got a little lost- "

"Excuses are unacceptable,' says another voice that has a weird purring sound to it. No, it is weirdly terrifying, purring sound. 'Well, don't just stand there! Come and sit."

There are only 2 girls in this very large room that looks like a far more luxurious version of the Teachers' Lounge Room back in her old school where students are not even allowed in. Ty Lee has been there once or twice with her boyfriend when they decided to have a risky rendezvous. This meeting reminds her somewhat of that but only the dread part. Nothing else.

They were having tea, Ty Lee realizes as she takes an empty seat across from the two incredibly well-dressed and serious-looking girls. There was a chill in this room and a silence that deafens the ears. She wishes she was back in the canteen with all the loud conversations and boisterous laughter, utensils dropping to the floor and the faint clinking of cutleries against plates. Somehow, Ty Lee feels it would comfort her.

She has to admit they are both very good looking people, by far the best looking people in the school to be honest and not just because they dress differently or they have better make-up. They have a certain aura of confidence and magnetism to them. The fact that Azula's grandfather is President of Fire Nation and her father is Chairman while Mai's father is Vice-Chairman of Sozin-Roku Holdings definitely doesn't hurt either. Ty Lee supposed that's why the rest of the school were so envious of her getting the Invitation. The Circle basically consists of heiresses of the Fire Nation.

 _They care a lot about their appearance, that's one thing we have in common._ Ty Lee thinks, trying to make herself as comfortable as possible in this terrifyingly intimidating situation.

They are both just looking at her, analyzing her from top to toe. It makes Ty Lee extremely nervous although she has always been very proud of her well-toned body and her looks.

The 2nd one finally speaks, "You don't know who we are, do you?"

Ty Lee wasn't sure whether it was a question or a statement so she simply blinks and smiles coyly.

"Our school board must have been feeling quite generous lately. Having lowered the standards in the admission criteria following the lash backs from the public that the school is,' -air quotes- ' _discriminating_ with their harsh admission processes which they hide behind questionable confidentiality clauses.'

She ends with an exasperated sigh as if she is truly affected by the changes in the school admission criteria.

'Welcome to Sozin's Institute of Learning, Ty Lee. My name is Azula and this is Mai."

Ty Lee frowns a little as she is quite sure that she has just been insulted. But then, her lips formed into a smile, a reflex when she hears the word 'welcome'.

'My grandfather is President Azulon and my father is the Chairman of Sozin-Roku Holdings,' she gestures to Mai and continues.

'Mai's father works for my father."

Mai simply rolls her eyes. It's just like Azula to begin with an introduction of her intimidating family. She will seize every opportunity to remind everyone else how much smaller they all are compared to her.

"Everyone's father works for your father, yeah, we get it.' Mai says disinterestedly, earning a glare from Azula. "So how do you like school so far, Ty Lee?"

 _At least the ghost lady doesn't seem too bad even though I've never met anyone who's face is paralyzed before._

"It's been quite, uhhh … interesting. Everyone has been very friendly to me," Ty lee doesn't know how and why her social skills have escaped her at this very crucial moment when she thinks it is important for her to leave a good impression. Somehow, this feels like a pre-admission interview that Ty Lee never had to go through in the first place. She shifts uncomfortably in her seat.

"You must have been very surprised when you received our invitation.' Azula looks rather smug as she says this. 'Not that many people have had the privilege of stepping through those doors,"

She pauses and looks at Ty Lee as if expecting an outpouring of gratitude for her apparent generosity. Ty Lee gulps and looks down to the floor for a moment as if in search of a proper answer.

"Yes, I,' Ty Lee hesitates for a moment before continuing. 'I wanted to thank you personally for that but I-" She was cut off by the girl named Azula.

"Yes of course, you should be extremely grateful for this opportunity. The entire student population envies you right now. Do you know that they would kill to be in your place?' Azula picks up her teacup, daintily putting it to her lips for a sip of her tea.

"There's no need to thank us just yet though. You are not totally "In". You will have to prove yourself worthy first. To do well in this Circle, you will have to be punctual, obedient, attentive and loyal. You will follow us wherever we go and attend to our needs as required," Azula was going on and on and all Ty Lee could do was stare with her eyes wide, trying to catch up to her speeding bullet instructions.

'Your first order of duty will be tonight. You and I will have dinner together at my Father's restaurant at-"

"If I may speak…' Ty Lee interrupted as politely as she could and she thinks she must have committed another grave mistake because both girls are now staring at her almost with disgust, as if she had just been caught stealing examination answers from the Principal's office (Not that it has ever happened before).

"I- I am extremely flattered to have been selected for this position but, I think I don't exactly deserve it,' Ty Lee starts straightening imaginary creases in her skirt while trying her best to maintain eye contact with the other two. 'I've only been here 3 days and I think there are so many others more deserving of such an- honor," she finishes with a smile on her lips, looking to Azula and Mai. She sees Azula's look of surprise which somehow does not fit into such an aristocratic face while Mai's face remains impassive although there was a slight parting of lips.

"You're turning us down?" Mai says the words slowly, her tone somewhere in between a asking a question and making a statement. There was general disbelief in the room as if this rejection is the first for everyone- it probably is.

Ty Lee is quite sure she will not leave this room alive. She supposes death would be faster than having to endure an interminable amount of time being slave to these two who Ty Lee can't even sit comfortably with for 2 minutes having tea.

Only until much later that Ty Lee understands why her parents have repeatedly emphasized to her the importance of making good decisions while she's still young.

Ty Lee's high school nightmares began after that.

Mai has never laughed harder than she did that day.

And Azula has never learnt how to deal with rejections.

: : :

"Are you talking about Azula's first date?" Zuko makes an entrance through the sliding doors leading to the pool outside. He has a laughing expression, a clear mockery of her sister's dating life.

"I told you to stop calling it a DATE!" Azula has officially lost it as her empty glass smashes into the wall, narrowly missing Zuko's head.

"You could have killed me!" Zuko yelled, his hand shot up to the side of his head where the glass had narrowly missed.

"You asked for it." Azula shrugged.

"It could have been worst,' Mai shrugs as she turns to Zuko. 'She could have _actually_ hit you."

Zuko scowls at the both of them.

"What are you doing here, brother?" Azula looks at him as if he has a lifetime of debts to repay her. He probably does.

"I'm off work so I decided to come home only to find my wife missing and I started thinking where she could be and I ended up here," Zuko said as if it was the most obvious conclusion in the world.

"Whatever. Do you really think it wise to leave office this early brother? What with all the problems boiling over that I've heard from your side. Dad is pretty upset," Azula is enjoying this; her brother's troubles are her salvation from her own problems.

They hate each other.

The siblings each are CEOs of several subsidiaries of Sozin-Roku Holdings. Azula takes charge of their financial, property and entertainment businesses while Zuko takes charge of their shipping lines and communication companies. Sozin-Roku Holdings basically has its grips on most of the major industries in the Fire Nation.

Lately, their shipping subsidiary has been plagued with a slew of lawsuits due to delays in shipment and accusations of unfair business transactions coupled with underhanded deals. What makes it worst for Zuko is the fact that Ozai is taking personal charge of the company's Oil businesses which works closely with the shipping subsidiary.

No matter how hard he tries, Zuko can never cleanly get his head out of the guillotine that Ozai has specially built for him. It makes him livid that they seem to expect him to fuck up at every turn and they both await his downfall like a hungry vulture circling over a dying animal.

In the immediate aftermath of the episode caused by the latest drama, Chairman Ozai has mentioned that "a lack of proper governance" was the cause of all the shenanigans in their Shipping Line and that Zuko should "grow a pair" if he was going to restore confidence in their stakeholders. It was a very loud, closed door meeting that he had with the Chairman. However, it doesn't surprise Zuko that his sister knows every single detail of that discussion.

Zuko wishes Azula was a man so he could kick her ass and wipe that smug look off her face. Granted she isn't a weak woman; if anything she could probably beat him in a duel like she outperforms him in everything else. Where he has strength, she has speed, skills and cunning.

They hate each other.

Tonight however, nothing is going to get him down. Tonight for the first time, his perfect little sister has 1 black mark on her squeaky clean record for fucking up and Zuko is genuinely happy. This is the one problem that Zuko really feels that Azula will struggle to get out of and it's his turn to be in the ring side seat, watching comfortably while Azula copes with the one thing she has trouble doing: Dating.

As a front, Azula maintains herself the reputation of a womanizer. She's good at keeping up appearances having had lots of practice under the strong meticulous eye of Ozai himself. However, none of her relationships are of any meaning except for total unrestraint sexual experiences. Azula is after all a beautiful woman who happens to understand the female anatomy far too well.

Even Mai wishes sometimes for Zuko to at least be half as good as his sister. Unfortunately, she doesn't have that kind of luck. Zuko is a one woman sort of man and so he lacks the experience Azula has gained for herself over the many, many beds she has had the pleasure of testing.

Right now under the guise of a deadpanned face, Mai wassurprised at his unusual un-brooding self. Usually she would have to sit through the siblings' extremely long and childish torrents of who is more superior and more often than not, picking apart each other's weaknesses. It was more of a battle of who can piss the other off first. Mai hates having to sit through those, as entertaining as they can get at times.

"You know what, I actually feel really good tonight so before I leave this place for a nice pleasant dinner with my wife, I want to be a good brother to you and give you a piece of advice for your date later whether you want it or not,' Zuko said, sounding as condescending as he possibly can.

There is no mercy in this family.

"Just be yourself."


	4. The Tragic Trilogy Part 1

**F** **OUR-** **The Tragic Trilogy with Quite a Surprising Ending (Part 1)**

She doesn't know why she bothers too much about how she looks for this date tonight.

It isn't as if its real. It's just a pretend date.

A pretend date with an awful person.

She has no idea how she gets herself into these situations and there has been so many of late. She feels a little ill and she thinks it's just nerves. The hours leading up to what feels like the final one has certainly been torturously slow. She just wants to get this done and over with.

The reporters will get a tip off that they will be at the restaurant. They will pretend to be having a good time, have a few pictures taken and it's all done. The night would be over and she can get a good night's sleep. Until the next date that is.

She combs through her hair for what seems like the thousandth time this evening. She studies her face; her cheekbones that are not too prominent, her cute little nose that's curved at just the right angle, the soft lips that's both thin and pouty. She has exquisite features, the envy of and the perfect model for every plastic surgeon.

She stands up now and walks over to her full length mirror to study her body. She loves her physique to the point that is almost unhealthy. After all, she does have _the_ perfect body that's envied by so many. This was the 6th outfit she has tried out today and it feels just right, finally. Now for the shoes, and the bag and the right accessories. She's just glad she started with this really early and after 4 hours, she is still far from ready.

Sigh . . .

The rest of this day better be good.

Azula steadies her breath.

Ty Lee pouts her lower lips, blowing at the bangs on her forehead.

: : :

Ty Lee has to admit, she was quite impressed by the elaborateness of this "fake" date.

 _When your father practically owns the world, you can conjure up such magical things simply by snapping your fingers. I'd like to meet and give the person who must have had to brave through hell to give Azula exactly what she wants a gigantic hug._

 _This is simply amazing!_

Everything had been laid out so perfectly. They had the entire 2nd floor of the restaurant to themselves where a pianist was playing his baby grand by the French doors and a candlelit table for two was set in the middle of the room. There were scattered blood-red rose petals all over the floor and a musky scented floral scent in the air that accentuated the smell of the roses. Ty Lee loves the texture of the walls, an off-white color tinged with the shimmer of gold. It made the walls look like they're glazed with sugar. Delicious.

Azula had picked her up from her apartment exactly at 7pm as agreed and how she ranted and raved when Ty Lee only managed to ready herself at 7.15pm. Thankfully, the rest of the ride went on smoothly because Azula had taken to silence. They arrived 10 minutes later in what was supposed to have been a 30 minute ride that Ty Lee had thought she would never get out of alive. She feels sick when she thinks of the squirrel she thinks Azula had run over. Although she was sure she had on a petrified look the entire way, she has to secretly admit it had been a very thrilling experience.

She would never admit it to Azula though. Azula should never have even the slightest nuance that Ty Lee had actually enjoyed any part of this date at all.

They took their seats, almost having a squabble over who gets to sit where and because Ty Lee did not want an argument, she gave in. The head waiter came and handed them their menu in a manner that was a little extra crispy. Too crispy, it looked highly unnatural.

He was sweating.

He was terrified, Ty Lee realized.

Azula ordered for the both of them without asking Ty Lee what she wanted. She took her time to select her wine by asking- no, ordering- the waiter to ready 10 samplings of their best wine before she makes a selection.

Ty Lee wonders how such a person can survive on this earth for this long, having made so many enemies along the way.

She is afraid to eat her food now.

It might be poisoned.

"So, what have you been up to this past few years apart from being dumped and causing chaos for others?" Azula says sweetly as they were served their coffee which Ty Lee does not drink, she hates the taste of coffee. But of course Azula never bothers to check with her first and Ty Lee did not want to complain.

She survived her food and it was delicious and therefore she was grateful.

"I tried to get into acting,' Ty Lee responded honestly. The "date" was going quite well in spite of everything so she decided to be a good sport and play along by being civil towards the Queen of Dragons. 'It wasn't easy, especially when your family keeps trying their hardest in making sure you fail at every turn."

"I suppose that makes sense. I could not have pictured you in any other career," Azula sips her coffee as she watches Ty Lee from the rim of her cup.

"You always thought I would make a good actress?' Ty Lee was surprised. This could be the first ever compliment she has gotten from Azula ever.

"I didn't say that. I just don't think you could do anything else with that attention-seeking personality of yours. I always knew you would get into something as shallow as acting or modeling or something of a similar caliber,"

It simply amazes Ty Lee how someone can simply insult another person right to their face without so much as batting an eyelid.

"Well at least I have a dream that is mine and not my father's!" Ty Lee spat back. Azula simply chuckles at her retort.

"You have spunk,' she nods as if in approval. 'That explains all your stupid decisions and rash actions,'

And Ty Lee finally catches on. Azula is unable to offer a compliment without somehow disguising an insult within.

'Why did you suddenly come back after leaving for 4 years? Tired of living in the dumps?' Azula asked, her face was full of condescension and it made Ty Lee livid that to Azula, her life was something to make fun of.

'Alright, alright!' Azula says as she waves her hand dismissively and rolling her eyes. She places her cup on the table as she contemplates what to say. 'No need to look like that. I get it! Agni! You spend 4 years away from your own people and now you're all obsessed with this whole peasant pride thing! Ughh! Fine! I'll try to be more. . . emphatic," Azula takes a deep breath as if it is taking a lot out of her to be kind to people. Ty Lee doubts she can ever empathize with anyone with the way she spat out that last word.

"Why did you stop pursuing acting? I mean, you left your life of luxury for this which means you're not afraid to lose everything. And suddenly you come back and choose to publicly mess up your life? Are you using me to get back at your parents?"

Of course this would all come back to being about Azula. What else?

"If you must know, what happened between us was totally unintentional. I wasn't using you to get back at my parents,' Ty Lee says dispassionately as she looks away and tries to distract herself by straightening out the table cloth in front of her, a nervous habit she picked up when she feels uncomfortable.

 _When did this habit start again? Oh right, during that interview with The Circle._

She does not feel like talking about this right now as she feels a sudden ache in her heart. 'I guess I am what you said I was; a shallow, attention seeking person who relies too much on others for self-validity and when I couldn't achieve that, I decided to come home and just spend all my daddy's money. Does this satisfy your curiosity?"

"No, you're only telling me what other people want to hear. I didn't need you to say all that, I already know what you were going to say. And until now, I thought this date would be much more exciting than this,' Azula seemed genuinely disappointed and Ty Lee seriously feels Azula would make a better actress than her. 'I'm disappointed, Ty Lee. what with all the training you must have had from having all those boys trail after you back in school I was hoping this date would turn out better."

"Well that makes two of us although this date is exactly how I _had_ expected it to turn out."

"And what would that be, pray tell?"

"That it's just a way for you to remind me of how superior you are to me. Just like you did back in high school," Ty Lee says very calmly as she gazes back at Azula.

"Very good, Ty Lee. At least that's one thing you've learnt from high school,' Azula smirks a genuine smirk as if it was an actual compliment. 'And you are also aware of my dating records? How I never date the same person after 3 consecutive dates?"

Azula's singing her repertoire and Ty Lee simply humours her, refusing with all her might to be sucked into an argument by this nauseating self-indulgent person.

"Well you know what they say,' Ty Lee looks right back at Azula, a smile permanently plastered on her face. "good company begets better company."

"You're right yet again! I've been told I have quite the people skills. I actually planned this entire date out to the detail. I was punctual, I pay attention to you, I listen to you and I ask you questions to show that I am interested in what you do. I make eye contact with you when I talk to you. You cannot say that I do things halfway; because I don't. I am therefore _great company_. It's the people that I meet that bores me to death so I dump them after they have used up their own worth,"

Ty Lee simply looks at Azula incredulously. She actually _really_ believes that she has done well on this date. And those words, did she actually read it up somewhere before regurgitating them?

 _Interesting._

"Right,' Ty lee says after an awkward pause where Azula simply stared back expectantly at her. Ty Lee wants to laugh at how adorably naive Azula seems right now and at the same time she wants to slap the smug look off her face. 'Since you're such an incredible date and I am such a lucky person to have had this privilege, I am simply so very happy that I have 2 more dates to go before you dump me."

Azula beams at her.

Ty Lee was so glad her acting lessons are finally paying off.

They were on their way out of the restaurant, armed with dark shades and scarfs around their necks to shield themselves from the chill of spring. Ty Lee held Azula's hand and found it sweaty.

 _Is she nervous?_

Azula never looked at her. She simply grabs Ty Lee's hand in hers with a little too much grip and started walking out the restaurant. Even as the door was opening, cameras were already flashing everywhere and Ty Lee could hear a buzz of sounds all mixed together in a frenzy; Azula's bodyguards shouting for the reporters to move out of the way and reporters and paparazzi's screaming and shouting unintelligible questions to which neither of them responded.

A paparazzi who must think he has been blessed with a good long life and is now ready for death came forward and grabbed Ty Lee's arm trying to gain her attention and her picture. Before she could react, Azula had grabbed and twisted his wrist behind his back before pushing him to the floor, smashing his camera as he landed on it. It all seemed to be happening in slow-mo for Ty Lee who turned to look at Azula, her eyes wide with shock but Azula wasn't looking at her. She was glaring fire bolts at the fallen bastard.

Fortunately, before anyone else could catch on with what had happened, Azula's bodyguard stepped forward, blocking the guy from Azula's view and urged for Ty Lee and her to quickly get into their car. Ty Lee saw how her bodyguards face had changed when Azula turned to fixate her glare on him and she almost burst out laughing. How can a man that huge be afraid of such a small-framed girl? It was almost pitiful to look at.

Seeing that Azula seemed adamant on finishing off the guy who had dared to grab Ty Lee, Ty Lee decided to take the lead as she pulled Azula into their getaway into what turned out to be a deja vu ride for Ty Lee.

Azula had sped all the way to Ty Lee's home without saying a word and not caring for the dozen speed cameras that they must have encountered along the way.

Too bad the date had to end just as Ty Lee thought it was starting to get better.

It was the most exciting night Ty Lee had ever had in her life. Even when she was an actress, she had never received this much fanfare with the media. Yet, she didn't even have the time to say thank you to the least likely person Ty Lee thought she would ever have to express her gratitude to.

Oh well, she has 2 more dates.

: : :

"Well done Azula,' Mai says as Azula walks into her office at 10am in the morning. Azula was late and Mai doesn't want to comment on it. She looks quite disheveled this morning; a strand of hair is out of place. _That_ is disheveled, Azula's standard. 'Did you actually take Zuko's advice, behaved like yourself and got to fuck her on the first date?"

" _No_ and get the fuck off my chair!" Azula hates that Mai thinks she knows her so well to be sitting in _her_ chair and discussing _her_ whereabouts as if she was her mother. Mai has a knack for pushing her buttons and for some reason, Azula allows it although it annoys her.

"Someone's in a bad mood. You didn't manage to get off last night?" Mai asked as she took her seat opposite Azula's table.

"Mai, what do you want?"

"You haven't heard? Had your ears under the covers, I see." Mai throws the magazine she has been reading since before Azula came in, onto her table.

She made headlines again with Ty Lee. This time, neither of them were in compromising positions except for the paparazzi that's lying face down on the floor. She smirked to herself as she recalls that incident. She would have broken his arm if only there were not that many witnesses or people trying to stop her.

Azula flips to the pages inside to see what else was being reported of their date. She was quite impressed that they had managed to capture pretty good photos of them as they were moving out of the restaurant. She smiled smugly at the caption: HOTTEST COUPLE OF THE CENTURY.

She smiles again, a genuine smile this time when she sees a picture of Ty Lee smiling coyly at a camera, her hand wrapped tightly around Azula's.

Her heart skips a beat causing her to frown a little at the unfamiliar sensation.

She feels a pair of eyes on her and remembers Mai was still in the room with her.

The smirk on Mai's face was an extremity that made no sense to Azula. Mai does not seem to have any facial muscles to utilize and that smirk just looks hideous on her.

"Wipe that look of your face. You look like you're having indigestion."

"Yeah well, I bet you're more familiar with the flipping stomach or butterflies in the stomach sensation these days," The smirk disappears and Azula wishes Mai would take the cue from the Cheshire Cat and disappear too.

"Why are you still here? Unlike you I have work that's waiting for me."

"Of course, Princess,' Mai was certainly enjoying herself and she refuses to take the hint from Azula that she would rather be left alone. Come on, how many more of such opportunities is she going to get to mess with Azula's head?

'So, when is your next date with Ty Lee?"

"If you must know,' Azula says exasperatedly as she plops down on her chair and opens the first file that catches her attention. 'It's this Saturday ok?"

"You bringing her to the circus?" Mai's eyebrows had shot up, only for a second.

"How did you know that?"

"Lucky guess?" Mai answers stoically.

 **Flashback : : :**

"You seriously have no class, Zuko," Azula declares vehemently as she swings her bag over her shoulder, grabbing an apple before making her way to her car.

"Come on Azula, it is not such a bad thing. You always like shoot down all my ideas anyway so I am not going to pay attention to your criticisms," Zuko fumes as he pushes his way past his sister towards his own ride.

"That's because you always ask for it. Your ideas are usually stupid, absurd, weird or just downright atrocious. If only brain transplants are possible, you would at least maybe get half a brain than you do right now," Azula looks at her brother with such disdain and she wonders how is it that they are related.

"You know what, at least I have a girlfriend who is not afraid of me and is willing to be seen in public with me who has no brain," Zuko throws his finished apple into Azula's open bag and runs off quickly to his car for a quick getaway.

Azula's eyebrows twitch.

: : :

"Did you agree to go to the zoo with my brother?"

"It's not the zoo, Azula,' Mai rolls her eyes as they walk down the rows of lockers to reach their own. The crowd automatically disperses to create a pathway for the ladies. 'It's the Circus," Mai continues although without mirth in her voice. Then again, mirth dies with Mai.

"Whatever! Did you though?" Azula asks again, getting more impatient with Mai's non-answer.

"Yes, I did! So what?"

"Why would you agree to such an absurd date like that?"

Mai throws her a side-along gaze with a slight frown. She had distinctly caught a genuine note of curiosity in Azula's voice. Azula truly wants to understand this.

Mai smirks slightly as she realizes she has gained an upper hand with Azula. There is something that she doesn't know but Mai does.

"This may come as a surprise to you but when on a date, if you enjoy the company more than the activity, it means you have had a very good date."

Azula simply looks at Mai as if she has said something extremely stupid. Azula can never understand the logic of society. Why settle only for halves when you can gain a whole? Lucky is the person who goes on a date with the great Azula as she will make sure that they enjoy the company and the activity both, unlike the rest of the common folk. She smiles smugly to herself and Mai simply chuckles at her best friend's naivety. She knows what Azula is thinking; if only things were that simple.

Azula knows the world as black and white and when she gets to the grey areas, she is simply clueless on what to do. And right now, clueless Azula is clueless of her own cluelessness.

Azula's smirk overturns as she sees Ty Lee leaning against a locker with a boy hanging over her. He has one arm resting on the locker above her head and his smile was anything but charming to Azula. She wants to carve his lips out of his face and keep it amongst her memorabilia of things best left only as memories from the past.

She keeps on walking in spite of her instincts telling her to make him passionately kiss the locker door, again and again and again. Ty Lee's voice sounded so sweet and chirpy as she was talking to him so animatedly. She hears Ty Lee telling him how excited she was to be going to the Circus and how much she had always wanted to go to one and how surprised she was that he knows her tastes so well and yada yada yada.

 _That slut!_

Well at least Azula knows what she will be doing this Saturday.

:

:

:

 **TBC**


	5. The Tragic Trilogy Part 2

**F** **IVE-** **The Tragic Trilogy with Quite a Surprising ending (Part 2)**

"What makes you think Azula really likes that girl?" Zuko asks his wife as he lay on his side next to her, resting his head on his hand. It was a perfect way to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon with his wife, in bed.

Mai huffs as an initial response to her husband's obvious cluelessness to anything pertaining to his sister. "In case you have not noticed, your sister has practically been burning the torch for Ty Lee since high school,"

Zuko looks back at Mai with an amused look on his face. Azula? Burn a torch for someone else other than herself? That just sounds incredulously hilarious to Zuko.

Mai knows full well what her husband was thinking and before he could even say anything she quips. "Do you know that your sister has not been seeing anyone else ever since she went on that date with Ty Lee?"

"Come on Mai, that sounds too extreme even for Azula!" Zuko refuses to believe his sister could be _in love with someone._

And since high school at that!

"You wanna talk extreme?' Mai asks him and Zuko cannot believe he is hearing a note of excitement in Mai's voice. This news Mai's about to dish has got to be really extreme in a really good way.

He finds himself paying full attention to his wife, more than he ever has in fact.

Shameful? Let's not discuss that now.

'Your sister, told me, that she could not even get off in bed with her most favorite plaything the night after her first date with Ty Lee," Mai says in a conspiratorial manner and Zuko just cringes.

"Ewww . . . Mai! I did not have to know anything about my sister's sex life with her bimbo pet!"

"Oh come on! Grow up and look at the bigger picture here!' Mai seems really excited and the glow on her face just unnerves Zuko. What has their life become when the only thing that would put a glow like that on her face is discussing Azula' sex life.

'We finally got one over Azula!"

Zuko nods his head as a slow realization comes to him and a smile starts to form on his lips. "You know what, I think that is the best news that I have heard in a very, very long time!"

And Zuko falls on top of Mai, their lips meeting in quite a passionate show of affection.

'We can mess with her head pretty bad!" Mai says in between kisses.

"Hmmm, we definitely can," Zuko responds, his voice muffled as he buries his head in Mai's neck.

"We should meet Ty Lee and get to know her," Mai says a little breathlessly as Zuko attacks her weak spot at the base of her neck.

"What do you have in that head of yours?' Zuko asks as he pauses for a moment to look at his wife. He loves it when she gets like this. He realizes that they both have a similar love-hate relationship with drama though their reactions toward it differ. While he throws fire at it, she seems to blow it all away. Two things could happen-

One, the fire dissipates and

Two, it rages on somewhere else.

Still, they love it.

They love each other.

They love that shared obsession of messing with the one person that none would even dare to think of messing with.

 **: : :**

"Ty Lee, I'm glad you could make it,' Zuko stands up like the gentleman that he is and pulls out a chair for her next to Mai. 'I'm Azula's brother, Zuko, and you remember my wife, Mai?"

Ty Lee looks at them with an unsure smile on her face. She almost turned down this offer for brunch as she hardly has any desire to get close to Azula's family, let alone Azula. However, Ty Lee was never one to listen to that rational voice inside, preferring to allow her bold self to take command and control. She always seem to have to prove something to someone or even just to herself. It is no wonder she gets into situations like these.

 _No regrets now, Ty Lee._

"Would you like anything to drink?" Zuko asks and Ty Lee can see the family resemblance though only in his countenance and not in his actions. She wonders briefly what had caused that scar at the side of his face though she thinks it may be impolite to touch on that when they hardly know each other.

"Hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows please,' Ty Lee says sweetly.

Zuko nods as he left to get the drink for her.

She feels Mai studying her quietly and chooses not to make eye contact just yet. Instead, she allows her eyes to study the café that they are in. It was a cozy little hideaway overlooking a shipyard and it was quite unsurprisingly empty. Not many people would have thought that such a place existed within the proximity of a shipyard. On her way over, she had thought that it was a perfect place for a person to be raped, murdered and dumped never to be found again.

 _No regrets now, Ty Lee._

Zuko finally arrives with her hot chocolate with a generous amount of marshmallows topping it. She thanks him quietly, taking her time to play around with her marshmallows, pushing it down into her cup and watching it bop up again.

After a while, Mai decides to break the ironically comfortable yet awkward silence.

"Are you alright, Ty Lee?"

"Hmm?' Ty Lee looks up as a delinquent marshmallow piece decides to leave the crowd by jumping onto the table. 'Of course I am. Why do you ask that?"

Mai shrugs.

"You just seem different from the last time I saw you. You were happier."

Zuko looks at his wife as though to say- _Shouldn't we be a bit more tactful, my dear?_

"I'm fine. I don't think I'm any different than before. It's just that I am a little nervous and I think it's only natural seeing that I have only seen him once before a very long time ago and you, I've only had nightmares about back in high school," Ty Lee was starting to get defensive and Zuko thinks this is not going good at all.

"Relax, please,' Zuko says as he gave a sideways glance at his wife to cool it. 'I'm sorry that we got off on the wrong foot. Can we just start over?" Zuko says as kindly as he could, looking at Ty Lee imploringly.

"Alright, of course. I'm sorry I got a little defensive." Ty Lee mumbles.

"That's alright and we apologize too for making you uneasy," Zuko says earnestly before continuing. 'Now, the reason we asked you here is because we are really quite concerned with how you are coping after The disaster of the last date,'

Ty Lee shudders.

 **FLASHBACK : : :**

"How did you know I like going to the circus?"

"I have my ways of finding things out. Like I told you before, I never do things half way." Azula responds with an ever-present smirk on her face.

They were sitting at the best seats a three ring circus could offer. Ty Lee had not known that such circuses still exists anymore. The only circus she knows is the Cirque Du Soleil and she has not been to that since high school. This is simply the most elaborately authentic circus she has ever been to and she is thrilled beyond her senses.

The Circus Master steps out to the center of the tent in a suit that Ty Lee thinks is just precious: A black top hat, black tailcoat, white shirt with ruffles and a striped black and white pants. He has a pair of leather gloves stuffed into his breastpocket and even a conductor's stick under his arm. And Ty Lee can hardly hold in her excitement.

Azula sits next to her, tapping her sharp nails impatiently.

"Ladies! Welcome to Phantasmagoria!"

Dramatic yet Impressive streams of orange flames burst forth from every corner of the room, shooting out to the Circus Master, almost touching him.

Almost.

Azula is mildly impressed while Ty Lee claps her hands gleefully, cheering on the Circus Master for such a grand opening. It was only a while later that Ty Lee realizes that they were the only audience of tonight's show.

"Did you,' she started as she turned to look at Azula who is spotting her signature smirk. 'Did you reserve the entire circus just for us?"

"Don't flatter yourself. I didn't do this for you. I just hate being in large crowds as if I am one of the commoners,"

"Oh!" Ty Lee responded quite flatly as she turned back to the show. The Circus Master is now showing some neat tricks with human-sized bubbles which Ty Lee thought was rather cute until Azula made a huge act of an exaggerated yawn.

It wasn't surprising for Ty Lee that Azula would react that way but what surprised her more was the fact that the Circus Master had heard her. Upon noticing the Queen of Dragons' boredom, he had instantly blown on the whistle hanging around his neck to summon his fellow performers.

From the flaps of the huge tent doors, there came a man dressed like Tarzan, dragging 3 lethargic looking lions by chains of steel. On occasion the lions would give a growl or two when Tarzan tugs a little harder on the chains but nothing too ferocious.

Then came a woman with 3 colorful hula hoops. Her body pliable and seems to conform to the hoops she carries around with her. For one, right now her body is contorted to the shape of the hoop and she is rolling on the ground together with it.

Now that is interesting!

Azula begins to lean forward in her seat as she watches the contortionist with rapt fascination. Ty Lee lets out a hmmph as she watches on, unimpressed for the first time this entire show.

 _I can definitely do better than that._

The performers take their places at the 3 corners of the stage. The Circus Master stands towards the back, holding at arm's length, an impossibly long whip in his right hand.

"Ladies of the audience, tonight's show lacks not heart nor brains or brawns,' he pauses for effect, pointedly looking at Tarzan who stands flexing his arm muscles. Ty Lee claps her hands appreciatively as she catches the eye of Tarzan. She thinks she hears something breaking next to her but she is too distracted to care.

'Tonight, we have prepared a very special show for our very special guests! It will be thrilling; it will be exciting and it will not disappoint! Ladies, I present to you, the Ring of Terror!"

The nets surrounding the stage catches fire, trapping the performers in its heart. Lions begin to roar at the flames, getting more and more agitated as Tarzan tries to keep them steady with his chains and tassel whip. Hula hoop girl seems unnerved but tries not to show it.

The Circus Master is sweating as evidenced by the beads of sweat running down the side of his face. Who wouldn't when being scrutinized by a vicious predator sitting in the box seat?

Even if Azula is being presently hanging at the edge of her seat as she . . . smiles?

 _That's unexpected. And yet . . ._

Anyway, the show is starting.

Hula girl moves first as she throws her three hoops in the air, rolls three times on the ground and catches all three hoops through her body as they fall back sequentially to the ground.

"Impressive no?' Says the Circus Master. 'But what if, the hoops are on fire?"

Hula girl goes on to light her hoops on fire.

She begins rotating them on her arms, managing to balance all three in constant revolutions without catching fire herself. She throws them in the air, repeats the same motions and catches all three flaming hoops through her body. The applause erupts only from Azula and Ty Lee is beyond annoyed although she could not for the life of her understand why.

Hula girl takes a bow and moves back to her corner. It is now Tarzan's turn to take center stage. He waves in the girls' general direction earning a frantically excited wave from Ty Lee as she stands and claps. Azula was sure he was only waving to Ty Lee and of course Ty Lee would respond in her whorish ways.

 _Slut._

Right now they are just trying to top each other on who can annoy the other the most.

Tarzan has a vice grip on the chains of his lions who right now seem to be getting more acquainted with the ring of fire surrounding them. In fact, they look like they're about to fall asleep.

Tarzan takes up a stance, moving away from his Lions, slowly releasing his hold on their chains.

Stopping at a distance, he begins slapping the long chain & tassel whip against the floor to command his Lions' attention.

He calls for the burning hoops to be passed to him from Hula Girl.

He catches all three and begins to spin them around his arm.

Like a Maestro, ready to conduct his orchestra, he raises the whip up in the air before releasing it to the ground as he throws the flaming hoops into the air at the same time. The Lions jump into action as they lunge forward, each jumping through a burning hoop and landing on their heavy paws, unharmed and unscathed by the ring of fire.

Ty Lee claps and whistles as she stands, jumping up and down thoroughly entertained by the show. Tarzan bows and throws a flying kiss in Ty Lee's direction which she catches and places it near her heart.

And Azula's patience has just reached its end.

She had wanted to impress Ty Lee by bringing her to this circus show but now her very act of kindness had backfired, horrifically. She fantasizes pushing Ty Lee over the ledge and into the ring 3 floors below as she stares imaginary embers into her back.

Azula had wanted Ty Lee to gush over how thoughtful she was to remember that she had liked going to the circus. She had wanted Ty Lee to praise her kindness profusely, repeating how many many favors she now owes to her. She had gone through great lengths to find a fleabag circus such as this to suit Ty Lee's peasant tastes and even brought herself to sit through this nauseating show despite her own personal abhorrence towards anything so common.

And after all that, Tarzan gets a standing ovation?

It was purely out of reflex when she pushed Ty Lee over the ledge.

 **: : : END FLASHBACK**

Zuko sees the suspicion on Ty Lee's face and he had already expected that. "I know it sounds ridiculous with Azula being my sister and her being Mai's best friend. But believe me when I say, I am probably the only person who can truly understand how much of a pain in the ass my sister can be,"

Zuko sees the slight twinkle in Ty Lee's eye as he says this.

 _Ok, that was an almost laugh. That's good._

"Because of that, knowing full well how Azula can be, we just want to know why you agreed to go out on the date with her?" This time it was Mai who was asking the question and it seems she was genuinely curious about it.

"Don't you know?' Ty Lee asks, tilting her head to the side as her eyebrows furrows. 'We are forced to so that we can cover up- "

"Well yes we know that,' Mai interrupts, her impatience getting the better of her. 'But why did you _agree?"_

Ty Lee sees it now; these two are well aware of her story- her rebellious act of running away from home, the exciting drama of her love life going up in flames and now the controversial news of her and Azula's "hottest couple of the century's contemptuous relationship".

And now, they are trying to figure out her motives.

For some reason or another, Ty Lee doesn't seem too angry about it. In fact, no one has asked her why she does what she is doing and when someone finally does, Ty Lee finds herself desperate to pretend that it is out of genuine concern for her own well-being.

She decides to take the bait.

"I just want to get back into my Father's good books,' Ty Lee begins, looking down at her hands in her lap. 'I've done so much and yet I've only managed to fuck up my life so far. And now the only way for me to survive is to bow down to my Father's will,"

Mai feels something pull at her heartstrings and she thinks she must be losing it. This girl is much too naïve and pitiful to be forced into a situation like this. If she is forced to remain with Azula, she will definitely be unhappy all her life.

"You do know that simply following through with your father's wishes will not give you the happiness that you're searching for?" Mai says and Zuko turns to look at his wife, surprised that she has taken the soft approach instead which was totally the opposite of their plans.

Ty Lee simply nods in understanding without bothering to comment anything.

"So you're in this, willingly?" Mai was quite persistent and again she feels that tugging in her heart. If only she could put a name to it.

Ty Lee looks up to squarely look Mai in the face.

"Yes."

A silence fell over the trio.

And Mai finally finds the name for it: Hopelessness.

Ty Lee walks out of the café after that most bizarre meeting of her life. She feels a cool breeze blowing making her shiver as she pulls her jacket snugly around her body. She has no idea why but their conversation had made her feel slightly better. That Mai girl seems to somewhat understand what she was going through and it made Ty Lee feel less alone.

She walks toward a newsstand deciding to purchase a few magazines for herself.

She sees the happy faces of Suki & Sokka on the cover of a magazine.

Their engagement is off.

Ty Lee frowns.

\

"What was that all about? I thought we were gonna teach her tricks to keep Azula tame?" Zuko was quite puzzled by the sudden turn of events and even more dumbstruck by his wife's change of heart. His wife is not the fickle type at all.

"I don't know. I just decided not to go through with it,' she sips her Iced Americano and Zuko knows that thoughtful look on her face. 'It's just too cruel to play that sort of game with a lost puppy kicked out into a storm don't you think?"

: : :

22 missed calls, 67 messages.

Suki.

Time check: 2:17am

Ty Lee thinks she is drunk.

The ceiling looks so far away and the walls are moving somewhat. She could still hear the distant thumping of music or is that just her blood pounding in her ears? She can't remember what she took but it was working.

Her body feels like it is suspended in air, somewhere between being motionless and moving at a consistent rush of speed. It's exhilarating.

But she should be heading back home.

 _No, it feels too empty._ _. ._ _Not like there's any difference here._

She chuckles at her self-conversation.

Her mother says she should find new friends to hang out with. Her father tells her to make appearances at the socialite parties he still throws very often. But Ty Lee is a beautiful non-conformist hated by all females who have met her because she is almost impossible for the opposite sex to resist.

In other words, she has no friends.

She's trying to stay awake but her eyelids feel so heavy and she is certain now that the room is spinning. Her mind flits between painful consciousness and her overwhelming desire to let the world go. Her body surrenders to the latter and she suddenly feels like she's being coddled in a bed of clouds.

She sinks.

She is falling.

She keeps sinking and she thinks she's reached the bottom of the sea as she feels cold water intruding her face.

Her arms flail weakly almost as though she doesn't really care anymore. She is just bracing herself for the cold hard floor she was certain she would meet at the end of her endless fall.

She feels a burning pain on her body and she thinks to herself, this is it: Eternity.

Oddly though, the pain, it stings her left cheek. She is supposed to be dying now and yet the pain is forcing her to regain consciousness. How can death be so annoying!

She hears a voice that echoes distantly in the beginning and then gradually starts gaining clarity to her ears. And that voice has her thinking that she must have fallen through the gates of hell.

Azula.

"Wake up! Agni! Since when has it become my job to wake your bloody ass up! Is this your hobby or something? Getting drunk and start acting whorish?!"

Azula's voice is unmistakable: only she can pull off a voice that is purring and scary at the same time and yet Ty Lee thinks she looks really hot when she's angry.

Even if only through the slits of her heavy eyelids, she could make out the Queen of Dragons' sharp features and of course those penetrating golden eyes. She recalls Zuko's eyes at that moment and concludes that his lacked the intensity of Azula's. Nevertheless, the resemblance is uncanny and yet Ty Lee hadn't realize it before.

She feels another sharp pain on her cheek and passes out again before she can even say, "Bitch."

/

When Ty Lee comes to she finds herself in a familiar place. The bed is comfy, the pillow's just the way she likes it and the smell of ylang-ylang softly permeates the air.

It feels almost like home because it is.

She rolls over to lay on her back and sighs to herself. Her throbbing head is a bother and yet she was already quite used to the sensation.

"So this is where you live,' Azula's voice rang through the air and again, this catches Ty Lee somewhere in between being surprised and having her expectations met. One way or another, Azula seemed to always appear when Ty Lee was at her lowest point. 'Funny, it doesn't seem to be anything like you."

"Why are you here?" Ty Lee's voice was coarse but loud enough for the intruder to hear. Ty Lee did not even turn to look at her, choosing instead to stare at her ceiling.

"Oh I just wanted to stalk you. See where you live, who you go out to meet, who your friends are, what's your favorite hang-out place, what's your favorite drink you know, stuff like that. Turns out I didn't even have to work so hard,' she taps her forefinger against her chin in mock contemplation.

'Let's see, you live in this luxurious apartment with a crappy interior which reflects on your abhorrent poor taste. You never go out to meet anyone because you have no actual friends outside of Club In Bloom where you can meet up with your few _consolation_ friends Johnnie, Bacardi, Jim and your pet Goose. Did I leave anything out?"

Azula is such a painful encounter for anyone to experience. Ty Lee is pretty sure she does not deserve this type of torture in spite of all the bad things she might have done.

And Ty Lee does not have the energy nor the willingness to fight anything anymore.

She remains silent much to the annoyance of Azula.

"Are you deaf or dumb? Are you just going to take that lying down? I just insulted your entire life!"

"Why fight it? It's all true." Ty Lee's voice was much softer now and she turns to her side, away from having to face Azula. It wasn't because she was embarrassed, Ty Lee was too numb to feel shame at this point. She was just hoping Azula would get the hint that she wanted to be left alone.

Unfortunately, with her back turned, she could not see the multitude of emotions that had just crossed Azula's face.

This situation was the last she would ever expect from Ty Lee. From their past encounters, Ty Lee always seem to be able to retaliate to anything Azula dishes out in her own way.

"I should have died when you pushed me off that ledge," Ty Lee says in a whisper.

The Queen of Dragons doesn't know how to react to that and she hates Ty Lee for somehow always managing to make her feel things she doesn't understand.

No one has ever left her speechless before.

Until now.

A/N: Hi everyone. Thanks for reading and reviewing and being so patient. Tbh I wrote this chapter a long time ago and it has been sitting in my hdisk for a long time cos somehow I always felt something was wrong with it- plot-wise. Maybe my kind readers could point it out for me? I look forward to hearing from you =)

Happy reading!


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